Como La Flor

The Star Anise

Apple in Cold Light

Patience

Being in a place where things are done completely different from what you are accustomed, can be very challenging at times. Patience is key. Understanding that time is not viewed the same everywhere you go and that organization might not mean the same here(Dubai) as it does in the States, is very important. I have also learned to look at the situation from a cultural perspective and not take anything personal. Every time I spend time abroad or when I am in an unfamiliar place, my whole being decomposes. I try to put myself together piece by piece while adjusting myself to the environment around me and without losing myself.

Spice Market in Dubai

The Spice Market in the medina (old city in Arabic) of Dubai was a magical place. I will argue that it is certainly not as cool as the medina in Fez, Morocco, but it is still rich in colors, aromas and wonderful people. You would think that because it is the oldest part of Dubai you would find tons of Dubai natives, but no. Instead, there were dozens of people from Iran who very politely asked me what I thought about their president. I very politely replied "no comments".

It's so interesting being who am an American, a Dominican, an African in a place where they are not accustomed to seeing this mix. When I am at the super market or anywhere for that matter, people are constantly looking at me and I can see them trying really hard to figure out where I am from. In the medina, some Iranians thought I was from Kenya or Nigeria. Very interesting.

The Medina of Dubai

More of Jumeirah Mosque et la Lune

Photography

Everyday that passes, I am learning more and more about photography. By definition photography means to draw or to write with light. The way that I interpret this is by seeing the sun, the moon, the stars, or any other source of light as my paint brush, the images that the world has to offer as my colors, and the camera as my canvas.

Jumeirah Mosque y la Luna

Day #5 Report

I really enjoyed photographing Jumeirah mosque today because it allowed me to acknowledge all of the particularities of the architecture, the material used, and the reason for its development. I concentrated on photographing the corners of lamps, walls and structures in the mosque because I believe that we often ignore the beauty of the small details of things and only concentrate on their grandeur. I also had fun photographing the moon because I was able appreciate the light it emanates. I wanted to capture the palm tree leaves and it did its job of illuminating them so that I could snap away.

TGIT

Day #5 in Dubai: I am not sure if this is true for all employers in here, but Thursdays are half days and Fridays are like Saturdays because people are off. I've been meaning to get on here, but this internship is really intense and I am barely getting any sleep because I am still not accustomed to the time difference here. I did my first official photo shoot on Day #3 with vintage cars and vintage cameras, very interesting. Today we had our second photo shoot at a mosque in the center of Dubai. I've been learning a great deal about all of the theories and concepts of light. For example, we learned about the electromagnetic theory of light, so cool! Although light travels at a constant speed, it appears lighter the farther it travels, so the light in Peru will be very different from the light in Greenland.

mother in law's tongue

So today my housemate who is from Kyrgyzstan cooked a delicious meal. They call it the mother in law's tongue, I don't know why. It is made of fried eggplants (first dipped in eggs), tomatoes, and a sauce that included mayonnaise, dill, and garlic. Muy rico!

ATL: Gate E-27

Today I will share with you the amazing experience of the first day at my internship in Dubai. Not so fast! On Thursday July 30^th, 2009 my connecting flight to Atlanta was cancelled due to terrible thunderstorms. I waited 9 hours in the airport on stand by, tired, upset, and simply frustrated. I couldn’t get to ATL that night and as a result, I missed my flight to Dubai.

I called my mom and told her about the situation and she prayed and told me that my flight was cancelled for a reason. I got an amazing hook up from a wonderful mentor who generously booked me a hotel so that I could get some sleep before my 12-hour layover in Atlanta the next day and my 14-hour flight to Dubai.

My friends D was in Atlanta on vacation and when I called her, she was more than happy to hang out with me in the city. We shared a delicious breakfast and had amazing conversations. I could have never imagined what was to come in the following hours.

D took me to the home of Sammie Nicely, a unique artist. Here I met the most amazing people. Jerry, an influential and insightful anthropologist was among these Extra-Ordinary people. The vibe, the flow of positive energy, the life and the presence of our ancestors were all in attendance at this home. I felt rejuvenated with all the spiritual and intellectual juices that dripped from the hearts and minds of these folks. This was exactly what I needed for my long journey.

Sammie told me that his work was being displayed at the Atlanta international airport on the walls of Gate E-27. A few hours before my flight I visited Gate E-27 where I saw some of the best masks that I have ever seen in my life and where I felt that same energy and vibe that radiated at the Nicely home.

Let life happen.

Initial Thoughts About Internship in Dubai

Ok, so this internship is NO JOKE! Today was my first day here and I learned about the physics of photography-light, optics, theories, Indian history of light, Greek history of light, shadows, non-point shadows, fog shadows, and the list goes on. We had to analyze several pictures and objects as well as create our own layout of a calendar month representing Dubai. Tons of reading and writing. I feel like I am back at school. I am still very tired/jet lagged from the 8 hour change in time and the weather here is about 110-120 degrees. We are also in the middle of a sand storm, so it looks really sandy and the cars, buildings and sidewalk all have sand on them. In Boston we worry about the snow, here they worry about the sand and the little lizards. I will write more later, for now just know that I am seriously in photography heaven or hell, however you want to look at it!!!

let the countdown begin!

In exactly one week I will cross the Atlantic, a few seas and a couple of continents to begin a photography internship in Dubai. Stay tuned because I plan to blog about all my experiences and share all the pictures I take.

Life works in very interesting ways; after a stressful day of laundry, packing, planning and making life changing decisions (yes I am still making those), two of my best friends from elementary school found me on facebook! It has been 9 years since the three of us graced the hallways of the East Somerville Elementary school and for some unknown reason lost all communication since that last day in 8th grade. My eyes began to tear when I read about where life has taken them and how they too were extremely excited to reunite.

Amidst all of the struggles, pains, headaches, life is beautiful, love is beautiful!

Hiroshima mon amour comme je t'oublie

I wrote this poem after reading the screenplay Hiroshima Mon Amour by Marguerite Duras and subsequently watching the French film directed by Alain Resnais. The main themes surrounding this poem are: denial, memory (both remembrance and forget), love, sameness, peace, war, contradictions, injustices, hate, pain, happiness, and did I mention l’amour. Although you might not understand all the words in the poem, try to form an image with the ones that you manage to translate—that should do it. I tried translating the poem into English, but frankly it just wasn’t happening, it lost the passion and candor that Duras so masterfully put together. The italicized words came directly from her oeuvre. Enjoy.

« Pourquoi nier l’évidente nécessité de la mémoire ? » Jamais l’amour… Jamais l’oubli…la crainte d’aimer et être aimé

Hiroshima mon amour comme je t'oubli

La peau semble la même, comme si les deux personnes deviennent une seule avec l’amour.
L’amour ici représente une force incurablement forte et explosive
Comme la force d’une bombe atomique.
L’amour est même plus fort que cette bombe.
On ne peut pas oublier Hiroshima parce qu’on ne peut pas oublier l’amour.
L’amour est fort même plus fort que cette bombe.

Pourquoi l’haine et l’injustice ?
Pourquoi l’inégalité,
Quand il est plus facile d’aimer et être aimé ?
Je préfère être aimé.
Les sourires, les regards, les câlins,
La tendresse
La chaleur, la passion, le plaisir
Je préfère être aimé.

Hiroshima mon amour,
Pourquoi es- tu triste et aussi seule ?
Je sais,
Je t’ai oublié.
Hiroshima mon amour,
Je reconnais tous tes douleurs.
Tu étais fait à la taille de mon corps même.
Je ne t’oublierai jamais.
Regarde comme je t’oublie.
Tu deviens moi et je deviens toi
Tu étais fait à la taille de mon corps même.

Ah ! Quelle douleur. Quelle douleur au cœur.
Les morts
Ta mort et ma mort,
Ta mort est ma mort.
Non, je continue, je t’ai oublié.
Ah ! Quelle douleur. Quelle douleur au cœur.
Hiroshima tu es mon vrai amour,
Je tremble d’avoir oublié tant d’amour…